Beehive.



E. HAINS.

BBEHIVB.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 19, 1913.

1,131,834. Patented Mar.16,1915.

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E. HAINSJ BEEHIVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1913.

1,131,834, Patented Mar.16,1915.

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EDSON HAINS, OF BEDFORD, OHIO.

IBEEHIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed April 19, 1913. Serial No. 762,161.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Emma HAINs, a citizen of the United States, residingat Bedford, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Beehives, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to bee hives and appliances therefor and has forits general purpose the provision of a device of thls character whichshall permit the bee keeper to dispense entirely with mechanicalextractors while facilitating honey transfer by the bees themselves.

It is a well known fact that comb honey is worth more in the market thanextracted honey. Also it is well known that bees do not naturally takekindly to the small square comb-sections of commerce but will store verymuch larger amounts of honey in larger comb units such as the bees wouldmake in a state of nature. Bees under proper conditions are capable of avast amount of work and will move and store up a great quantity of honeyin case appliances be provided that shall take advantage of theirpeculiarities. Thus my observations ,have shown that the use of largecombs during the flowering season will result in the production of anamount of honey so much larger than in the use of small combs as torender it profitable to transfer this honey to small combs after the endof the flowering season, in case the bees themselves can be persuaded todo the work. Also at the prevailing difference in value between combhoney and extracted honey there is a de pendable margin of profit ininducing the bees to transfer the extracted honey into combs. Inaddition the bees fare noticeably better during the winter if fed uponhoney or other partially predigested food than if fed upon raw sugar,although if the sugar be fed to them during the late summer or earlyfall they will work it over and store it in combs in partiallypredigested form, amply suitable for winter nourishment and permittingall the salable honey in the hive to be withdrawn and sold. This can beaccomplished only before the setting in of cold weather and in additionto the freeing of the valuable honey for sale purposes results in theproduction of a noticeable amount of beeswax and comb, thus dispensingwith the necessity of purchasing so much of this material in the spring.All of these acts depend upon the native or instinctive peculiarities ofthe bee and it is only by taking advantage of these peculiarities thattheir energy can be turned into practical account. For example, beesknow instinctively the value of sweets and will suffer labor and pain toprevent the loss or damage thereof. If bees find sweets that areapparently exposed or in a dangerous place they will put forth greatexertions to transport them to some place where they will be safe andwill store them in the manner which their instinct tells them is mostdependable, viz, in a comb. On the other hand if the bees find anysweets in a place which strikes them as being safe and suitable theirtendency is to inhabit there and add more stores to those alreadypresent.

Accordingly the object of the present invention is the provision of aconstruction and arrangement of hive which shall take advantage of thepeculiarities of the bees so as: (a) to induce them to transfer honeyrapidly and efficiently from unmarketable combs or from bulk-extract tomarketable comb; (b) to induce them to lay up winter stores made fromsugar in the summer and early fall so as to obtain winter provisons anda by product of wax; (c) to induce the bees to store all their honey inthe places designed therefor; (cl) toincrease the length of the workingseason by providing better warmth and ventilation adjacent the comb; (c)to increase the tendency toward working by moving the center ofpopulation of the hive nearer to the comb; (f) to permit a plurality ofcolonies to be wintered in one structure so as to economize on thewarmth produced by the various clusters of bees; (g) to permit aplurality of queens to be wintered in one colony and without theneoessity for opening the hive and separating the colonies at so early adate in the spring as hitherto; (h) to retard spring swarming; (2') topermit a greater facility of access to the comb sections; (j) whilefurther objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe description proceeds.

Certain constructions and arrangements whereby the above named objectsmay be attained are illustrated in the drawings accompanying andforminga part of this application, wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of one form of hive constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional viewof the said hive taken upon a line parallel with the roof; Fig. 3 is averthe super shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 'i is a vertical, transverse,cross-sectional view 7 of the super shown in Fig. 5 taken upon thedotted line 7-7 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 8 .is aperspective view of ahoney board which may be used with the super shownin Figs. 5, 6, and 7 Fig. 9 is a side. elevation and end elevation of adivision board which may be used with my improved hive; Fig. 1Q is aside elevation and end elevationof a form of frame for holding combsections within the super; Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a comb framedesigned especially for the attic of the super; Fig. 12 is a View andend elevation of two adjacent frames constructed in accordance with Fig.11 and showing the construction and operation of the spacing and guidingclips; Fig. 13 is a detail view of one, of the clips taken upon the line1 1 313 of Fig. 11 and looking downwardly;

Fig. 14; is a detail view of another spacing clip taken upon the linelav-1 1, of Fig. 11 and looking downwardly; Fig. 15 is a plan View of amodified form of super which may be placed in the upper chamber shown inFig. 2 instead of the super shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 16 is a vertical,longitudinal, cross-sectional view taken upon the line 1616 of Fig. 15and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 17 is a right hand endelevation of the device shown in Fig. 15; Fig. 18 is a vertical,transverse, cross-sectional view taken upon the line 1818 of Fig. 15 andlooking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 19 is a detail view showinga modified form of brood comb together with a form of adjustable spacerwhereby a passageway is assured through an intermediate portion of thecomb; Fig. 20 is a detail view taken upon the line 20 20 of Fig. 19 andlooking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 21 is a detail view,showing a modified form of brood frame and spacers together with themeans for securing same in place; and Fig.

22 is a cross-sectional view of the frame taken upon the line 2222 ofFig. 21 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Describing the parts by reference characters my improved hive consistspreferably of a substantially rectangular box 1 having a front wall 2, arear wall 3, and side walls a 4 and suitably supported as by legs 55.

The bottom of the chamber 1 is formed bya perforated floor 6 suitablysupported as by ledges? and in the walls 2, 3 or =1 immediately abovethis floor is formed the openings or entrance whereby ingress and egressis permitted. In the present case this opening is illustrated in therear wall 3 at the point 8 although obviously it could be formed in anyportion of the wall. Perforations 99 are provided whereby ventilation ofthe living chamber is permitted, the same being preferably shielded fromwinds and storms by means of skirts 10-10 formed upon the exterior ofthe hive and spaced therefrom.

The chamber 1 is designed to provide a living room for. the bees, andthe working and storage chambers arepreferably located above the same,To this end I provide above the chamber 1 an upper chamber 11 the samepreferably resting snugly but detachably upon the side walls of thechamber 1, and above the chamber 11 may be placed a roof 12 of theillustrated or any desired construction.

Beneath the chamber 1 I preferably-provide an inclosed basement 13 whichmay conveniently be formed by securing a platform l-l to the legs 5 -5and inclosing the sides by means ofremovable walls 15- 15. This basementforms an air chamberwhereby the bees may be kept warmer in the winter,and also permits the introduction of comb beneath the living chamberwhereby the bees may be drawn downwardlyio the lower part of the hive iffound desirable for any reason. Also it forms a space for the storage ofcomb, empty sections, and the like. In the upper part of this basement,immediately below the floor 6, I have illustrated a frame 16 havingcloth or fine mesh wire 17 secured thereto whereby the circulation ofair through the hive may be impeded so as to. permit the bees to bekeptwarmer in the winter but without danger of smothering them. Similarly Ihave shown a frame 18 over the top of the upper chamber 11 and servingto increase the warmth of the hive in winter. while keepingit cooler insummer and discouraging robbers.

While my invention is entirely independent of the proportions employed Ihave illustrated herein a hive of sufficient size to accommodate aplurality of colonies, and I have shown the walls of the living chamber1 and of the upper chamber 11 as provided with spaced cleats 20-20forming l guideways for the reception of sliding partitions 21 wherebythe hive may be divided into a plurality of independent compartments. Inthe present case I have illustrated four such compartments of equalsize, although it will be understood that the num her and arrangement ofthe same may be varied within any limit whatever without departure frommy invention.

For the storage of the honey which is to be made or transferred in eachsection I prefer to employ an interior box or compartment in the upperchamber of each section, owing to the fact that it is desirable to havethe sale honey segre ated from the rest of the hive for purposes ofcleanliness and also from the fact that the bees prefer to store thehoney in a quiet, secluded apartment where they think it will be safefor the feeding of the young and for their own future use. Theseinclosed inner boxes are called supers and the preferred form of thesame is shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 hereof. This super consists of arectangular box 25 having end walls 26 and side walls 27. One or both ofthe end walls is provided with perforations 28 the same being preferablyconcealed underneath an adjust-able slanting portico 29 openingdownwardly as toward the living chamber. The super is also formed with aremovable bottom 30 which is removed when the super is placed in thechamber 11. The super is supported in place by resting upon broodframes, comb sections, or the like with which the chamber 1 is provided.The ends of the super are preferably provided with lattice spaces 31spaced from the walls so as to form a passageway therearound, and thebottom may also, if desired, be formed with a lattice floor 32. Theupper part of the super is formed with an internal ledge 33 forsupporting the comb frames, while the top of the super is preferablycovered with a box 34 forming an attic chamber 35. Admission to thischamber is afforded by apertures 3636 in the walls thereof, saidapertures being preferably formed in communication with a passageway 37whereby access may be had to the attic without passing through thechamber 25 of the super. The floor of the attic is formed by a plat-form38 also perforated to permit passage between the two parts of the super.

For supporting the comb sections within the super I employ frames of thetype shown in Fig. 10, which consist of a hollow, rectangular skeleton40 formed at its upper portion with overhanging extensions 41 adapted torest upon the ledge 33. Within the skeleton 40 the sections 1242 are supported by wedges 43 in the usual or any suitable manner, the arrangementof the sections being preferably such that the edges of the sections inone frame come opposite the space between adjacent sections of the nextframe.

The attic 35 of the super is designed more particularly for feedinghoney to the bees in small quantities from time to time so as to inducethem to enter the super at as early a time in the spring as possible andto remain in that vicinity at other times of the year, with the effectpartly of rendering them accustomed to the location, and partly toincrease its warmth, and partly to move the center of population of thehive in this direction. For supporting comb inside of this attic Iprefer to employ a frame of the type shown in Figs. 11 and 12 andconsisting of a hollow, rectangular skeleton 50 which may be dividedinto two or more sections as by means of the double partition 51, andwhose separate portions are each pref erably divided by diagonallyarranged double partitions 52. The two parts of each partition arespaced apart by suitable blocks so as to form hollow spaces for thepassage of the bees, and the regions between these partitions and thesides of the frame are filled with comb as inthe case of any otherframe. These frames are ordinarily set in upright position inside thesuper attic and spaced apart the desired distance in any suitable orconvenient manner. In the present instance I have shown clips secured tothe end portions of the frames and serving to define the distance of thesame apart from each other and from the ends and sides of the inclosingspace. In the present embodiment each of these clips consists of abracket-shaped metal device having a pair of laterally extending arms53-53 terminating in loops 5 5'-l adapted to receive between them thesides of the frame 50. Each of these clips is secured in place by meansof a spring wire 55 bent substantially to M shape as shown in Fig. 12.The clips at one end of the frame are preferably formed with a fin 56 attheir backs arranged to space the frame 50 from that end of the wall.The clips at the other end may be plain as siown in Fig. 14.

In Figs. 15 to 18 inclusive 1 have illustrated a modified form of superconsisting merely of a rectangular, hollow tray having side walls 60,end walls 61 and a slatted bottom 62. The size and arrangement of theslats are such as to take the comb sections as illustrated in Figs. 15and 16, the spaces between adjacent sections registering with thespacesbetween the slats so as to permit free admission to the bees from below.The height of the walls is slightly greater than the width of the combsections so that succeeding trays can be piled on top of the first tray,and the end walls 61 are preferably formed with perforations 63 topermit the passage of the bees. One end of each tray is preferablyprovided with spacinto small sections as in the case in the sec-.

tions made for sale inasmuch as the bees do not like the small sectionsand can be induced to build comb and honey therein only with difficulty.In order to stiffen the frame and support the comb and prevent itsbuckling or warping under strain or high temperature diagonal wires 66are frequently used. However, when the entire frame is filled with honeyit increases considerably the distance of travel of the bees to have tofind their way around the.

edges of the same wherefore I have devised an attachment which issecured to these wires and keep a passageway open through anintermediate portion of this frame. In its preferred embodiment thisattachment consists of four sets of light metal angle iron stripsarranged in pairs with their flanges separated by blocks 68. Theremaining flanges of each pair are applied to the remaining flanges ofthe other pair so as to clamp between them the wires 66. Inasmuch asthese attachments can be moved in any desired position within the frameit will be apparent that this passageway can be located wherever founddesirable.

In Figs. 21 and 22 I have shown a modified form of the frame comprisinga skeleton 69 having one or more of its sides surrounded with a sheetmetal sheath 70 which is formed interiorly with a projecting rib 71.Double partitions 7272 are employed, the ends of these partitions beingslotted as at 73 and held in place by being applied to the rib 71 asshown in Fig. 22.

In order to minimize the effect of storms, and to keep the interior ofthe hive at a more uniform temperature I prefer to locate in front ofthe main entrance door a movable shield or poi-tico 105. Preferably thisportico extends downwardly for a distance below the entrance andoverhangs to some extent the lighting shelf 106, thus preventing snowfrom lodging upon this shelf in winter which might have a tendency tosuffocate the bees.

The shielding of the interior of the hive from changes in the weather isalso increased by the use of hollow cells 107'set around the sides ofthe chamber 1. Preferably these cells are of detachable construction soas to be moved about or removed at pleasure, and may either consist ofthe hollow boxes shown at 108 as included between the end of the hiveand the partitions 1211-21 or may extend-from one side of the Forfeeding the bees, either honey or sugar, I provide about the interiorwall of the hive a plurality of hollow movable cells shown at 105 and106, the same being located preferably at the points adjacent to oracross the entrances 8. The bottoms of these cells are provided withgratings 10"- beneath which the bees can pass to and from the entrances.The entrances themselves are preferably of somewhat greater size than iscustomary in former bee hives and to prote'ct the same from storms andenemies a movable portico 108 is provided upon the exterior of the hive.This portico extends from the skirt 10 to a point somewhat beneath theentrances 8, and beneath this portico is provided the alighting ledge109 which is preferably of less width than the portico so as to keep itdry and free from snow in winter and more easily defended againstenemies. The cells may either extend only for a part of the distancealong the wall of the hive as at 105 or may be of the full width of thehive as at 108. In either case their location adjacent the en trancesgives the bees a feeling that the sweets therein are not in a secureplace and so induces them to transfer the same to a safer location. Theposition of these feeding cells inside of the hive enables the bees towork during a longer season than if they were obliged to go outside fortheir honey, and the unusual size of the entrances 108 has the sameeffect, particularly as the removable character of the porticos 108permits them to be displaced from time to time thus admitting more lightto the hive. However, if by habit the bees become accustomed to thislocation for the honey and indicate a desire to inhabit these portions,

the remedy is to remove the cells and trans fer any comb which may be inthe same to some other part of the hive such as the base ment 13 or thespace between the floor 6 and mesh wire 17 (see 125, Fig. 3). After afew days or weeks these cells may be replaced and feeding inside themresumed. In addition to their use as feeding chambers, these cells forman additional vestibule to the hive producing a kind of air chamber andshielding the interior from changes of the weather.

In case it be desired to divide the living chamber of the hive into agreater number of compartments or to reduce the size of thosecompartments temporarily, as might be the case in the winter when thebees com pact themselves into a very much smaller space than at othertimes, I propose to employ a division board of the type shown in Fi 9,same comprising a web 115 adapted to extend from wall to wall 'of thechamber a should occasion demand.

in which it is placed and preferably having a projection 116 adapted torest upon the top of the living room walls so as to maintain thepartition in upright position. The uppermost portion of this partitionis preferably split longitudinally to provide a separate jaw 11?- whichis hinged to the partition proper at 118. Paper, cloth or the likematerial may be inserted beneath this jaw as snown at 119 and retainedin place therein by the buttons 120. The partition proper may beprovided with notches, apertures, etc, for the passage of the bees, orthese may be left solid or may be closed with wax This expedient, takenin conjunction with the partitions 21-21, produces a hive whose interiorspaces can be enlarged or contracted as necessary for the varyingseasons and the varying sizes of swarms.

Ordinarily the bees will dwell mainly in the chamber 1, and here will bekept most of the brood comb. The super being a closed dark box locatedimmediately above this chamber affords the bee a feeling of security indepositing its honey inside thereof and is also advantageous asrequiring an upward movement of the laden bees which is apparentlyeasier than a downward movement. The provision of a portico 29 or closedpassageway 37 in front of the entrances to the super affords completedarkness therewithin and renders it, to the bees instinct, a much saferplace than the comnaratively exposed feeding cells.

hen it is desired to feed the bees either honey for transfer purposes orsugar for summer feeding, these substances are placed inside the cells108 or 109, whereupon the bees, being alarmed for the safety of thesweets owing to the exposed condition of these places, will immediatelybegin to transfer the same to the sections in the super since these areso arranged as to afford them a feeling of comparatively great security.The provision of an attic above the super permits the introduction ofcomb (either with or without honey) at this point which always has atendency to attract the bees, and thus lures them into and around thesuper and increases in their estimation its desirability and safety as aplace of storage. In case the bees shall become reconciled to thelocation of comb or honey inside the cells 108 and 109, the cells areremoved, or shifted, or rearranged, or otherwise disturbed so as toupset this confidence. At the same time it is desirable to effect thisfeeding inside of the limits of the hive since this facilitates the workof transfer and permits the same to be done through a longer season thanwould be the case if the bees were obliged to leave the hive for thesupplies. Likewise if the bees tend to become too inhabitive in theattic of the super,

any comb which may be there may be removed until this habit is brokenup.

In addition the location of the feeding cells around the exterior of thebeehive forms an added shield against the weather and diminishes thedanger that the bees will become restless during any accidental shortheated season in the early spring which might cause them to make warupon each other in case there were more than one queen or one colonywithin the hive, and likewise prevent an undue interference with thework by the occurrence of an occasional cool day in the summer. Theimprovements in the frames and other subsidiary appliances heretoforementioned are aimed to increase the facility of labor and thereforeincrease the amount of honey which can be transferred withina giventime.

hat I claim is 1. In a beehive, an inclosing structure having passagesin its walls and removable partitions adapted to be located within saidstructure whereby the interior space may be subdivided, there beingpassageways through said walls and communicating with each subdivision.

2. In a beehive, an inclosing structure having parallel walls andguideways formed in said walls, and slidable partitions located in saidguideways, there being passageways formed in said walls and opening intothe compartments defined by said partitions.

3. A beehive comprising, in combination, a living chamber and an upperchamber, and alined, removable partitions located in said chambers andserving to divide the hive-interior into a plurality of independentcompartments adapted to house separate colonies.

4- In a beehive, the combination, with a living chamber having entrancesand an inner chamber adapted to receive comb sections, of a hollow celladapted to be inserted into said living chamber near said entrances andarranged for the feeding of the bees, said cell communicating both withsaid entrances and with said inner chamber.

5. In a beehive, the combination, with a living chamber having entrancesin its outer wall and an upper chamber communicating with said livingchamber and adapted to receive a super, of a movable hollow cell adaptedto be inserted in said living chamber adjacent to said outer wall, and aslatted floor for said cell spaced above said entrances and arranged toreceive sweets with which the bees are fed.

6. In a beehive, the combination, with a chamber having entranceapertures in its outer walls and a darkened inner chamber adapted toreceive the comb sections, of a plurality of feeding cells arranged insaid living chamber in proximity to said entrance apertures and aremovable portico carried by the hive exterior and adapted to shieldsaid entrance apertures.

7. In a beehive, a living chamber, a darkened, interior storage chambercommunicating with the living chamber, feed ing cells located in saidliving chamber, and means for varying the illumination of said feedingcells.

8. In a beehive, the combination, with inclosing walls, of a supersmaller than said walls and adapted to be received therein, said superhaving entrance apertures and a portico covering said apertures.

9. In a beehive, the combination, with inclosing walls, of a supersmaller than said walls and adapted to be received therein, said superhaving an attic, and means for supporting comb in said attic, said atticbe- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the ing accessible both from the main chamber of the superand independently thereof.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination with a superand a plurality of frames adapted to be hung therein, each of saidframes being adapted to contain a plurality of comb sections, of meansfor securing said sections in said frames with their edges spaced apartso as to provide a passageway therebetween, said securing means beingarranged so as to bring the edges of the sections in one frame oppositethe passageways in the adjacent frames.

EDSON HAINS.

Witnesses ALEX. Soo'rr, B. OLIVE.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

